Mine is 15',like you I did not like it at first but after awhile I got used to it.Try going up in it without gun/bow first and sit for awhile.Use a safty strap.They do make 10 footers.Also if you set it up where you have another tree next to you when in the stand it doest seem as bad.(right side if your right handed, so you can shoot to your left.)

My son and I use the 15 and 20 foot ladder stands and love 'em. Like was said before, once you get used to it, all is OK. When you are on the ground looking up, it doesn't look that far, but up there looking down looks like a mile the first time you get in it.

One thing you might do is if the ladder stand is in sections ( all of mine are in 5 foot sections) take one of the sections out and leave it on the ground until you get used to the height. Then add the other 5 feet, and the aditional height might not seem so drastic.

Good luck, and safe hunting.

PS- ALWAYS use a safety belt ANY time you go up in an elevated stand. Every year people are seriously injured and crippled or killed due to falling out of a stand. About 20 years ago ( when I was young, and thought nothing could hurt me), I fell asleep in a stand, and woke up and caught myself as I was going over the side at about 25 feet. It scared me so bad that it took me a while to be able to climb down out of the stand. I always had a belt with me, but NEVER wore it. Since that time, ANY time I am in an elevated stand, I always have a safety belt on. Do not take a chance!! These words are spoken from someone that has "Been there, done that"!!

Ground hunting is fine too. I do a lot of that. Just play the wind. And don't move (meaning you can walk, but don't fidget once you stop).

Being up in a tree stand usually allows your scent to be carried away farther downwind. You get some better visability, especially in the distance. And your movements are somewhat less visible to the deer. (They can see you from the distance better than you think).

But being on the ground can get you closer. And as long as the deer is up wind, they might not notice you if you are very still and time your movements to when the deer can't see you or aren't looking.

For stands, I prefer 12 to 15 feet. I don't like being too high and detached from the deer. But, if it is less than 12 feet, then it doesn't seem much worth the effort of putting up the stand because you could just ground hunt from that spot.

For bow hunting, I like to get up as high as I can. 20' at a minimum. I use a hang-on stand, and I combined two of those 16' stick ladders to get a higher ladder. ;f

For gun hunting (which requires a lot less movement to fire a shot, and you have a lot greater range) 10' is high enough, but I usually use my two Cabelas 15' ladders (with all the sections) during firearm season.

If you're afraid of heights, but like to hunt from a stand, check out one of those "pop-up" ground blinds. I use mine for duck hunting, coyote hunting, and for very cold & windy days during gun deer season. Put a small portable heater in there, and you can stay out all day, despite any bad weather. Your chances are much better for bagging a deer if you're out in the woods all day... rather than back at camp trying to get warm and/or dried out.

I might mention that, at the age of 14, I began working with my dad in his roofing business. At 18, I joined a roofers union in Chicago, where I was a member until I was 35. I worked on some very tall buildings... like the Sears Tower, Standard Oil, and Watertower Place (right next to the Hancock building, and almost as high)... so, not surprisingly, a 20'+ tree stand height doesn't bother me at all. I've had a few "minor" falls, and it's the not the fall that hurts you... it's that damned sudden stop. ;P

Got one!!! Not from my treestand, though. After 3 days of seeing NOTHING, I moved to a different location, right next to a creek. After hearing several gunshots, and one of my dogs going nuts, this button buck showed up 75 yards away.

I shot him from the ground, in the center of a clump of trees. Next year, I'm trying with a crossbow.

The higher the better. I use both permanent and climbing stands, never tried a ladder stand. I usually go up around 20' if I'm hunting with a recurve, and if I'm using a compound or a gun I like to stay around 30'. I have to limit my range to 20 yds with a recurve for penetration. If I'm lower I can get more yardage on the ground. I hunt thick woods and I am ocassionaly spotted at lower heights, but I have never been spotted at 30' or higher. Atleast that I know of.

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